Supervisors’ Orientation

1. Supervisors’ Orientation MNA VISTA Program July 31, 2014

2. VISTA 101 Everything you want to know and more!

3. Coming Up • Brief History • VISTA Today • What do VISTAs do? • What don’t VISTAs do? • Benefits • Q & A

4. History • Envisioned by President Kennedy and first implemented under President Johnson • “Your pay will be low; the conditions of your labor often will be difficult. But you will have the satisfaction of leading a great national effort and you will have the ultimate reward which comes to those who serve their fellow man.” – LBJ • First 20 VISTA members began in January 1965. By the end of the same year, over 2,000 VISTA members were serving in Appalachian towns, Californian migrant worker camps, and Hartford, Connecticut. • VISTA continued to provide skilled volunteers to communities across the country in various issue areas such as health care, low-income housing, and literacy. • In 1990, President George H.W. Bush began expanding national service, and in 1993, President Clinton signed the National Community Service Trust Act, leading to the creation of AmeriCorps. VISTA became a part of the newly-formed AmeriCorps agency.

5. AmeriCorps Programs (Corporation for National and Community Service) CNCS

6. VISTA Today • Roughly 8,000 VISTA members are serving in all 50 states and most U.S. Territories • Programs address root causes of poverty and helping to equip organizations and communities with the tools to eliminate poverty • VISTA service terms are 12 months in order to promote sustainability rather than being dependent on an individual. VISTA members strive to build systems that create lasting change.

7. MNA VISTA Program Let’s talk specifics

8. Michigan Nonprofit Association Civic Engagement Team Michigan Campus Compact Volunteer Centers of Michigan The LEAGUE Michigan

9. Program Goals Priority Area: Education • Student Engagement: Engage in activities intended to improve learning and success in low-achieving schools. • Service-Learning: Engage in high quality service and service-learning projects in low-achieving schools. • College Access & Success: Engage in counseling, academic, enrollment, and retention support activities for economically disadvantaged K-12 students and first-generation college students. Priority Area: Economic Opportunity • Financial Literacy: Engage in activities that provide, support and/or facilitate access to resources and services that improve financial literacy, stability and security. • Employability: Engage in activities that provide, support and/or facilitate access to workforce development resources and services intended to improve employability and, ultimately, lead to employment.

10. Who are all these people? A national service who’s who

11. Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) • AmeriCorps VISTA • State Office of CNCS • (Detroit) • Local VISTA Projects (MNA) • Sub-Sites/Host Sites • Cathy Sharp • Jenny & VISTA Leaders • Supervisors! • Your members • AmeriCorps VISTA Members

12. Program Manager vs. VISTA Leaders Program Manager Oversees program overall Supports Supervisors Steps in if problem arises Facilitates meetings/trainings Supervises VISTA Leaders Reports to CNCS Submits federal paperwork Guides program direction VISTA Leaders Support VISTAs Help identify problems and successes Help plan meetings/trainings and sometime facilitate Help coordinate reports Share resources among VISTAs Coordinate VISTAs

13. Supervisors Acclimate VISTAs to host site Introduce VISTA to relevant stakeholders and community partners; serve as liaison if relevant Help VISTAs figure out day-to-day tasks associated with accomplishing the VAD activities Approve (look at) VISTAs’ QPRs, timesheets, etc. Conduct mid- and end-year evaluations Be program representative for host site

14. Involve the Program Manager If… Leave is taken without approval There are still behavioral problems after receiving written or verbal warnings There is a change in the VAD There is a change in address of VISTA or project site There is a change in supervisors There is a change in community partner The VISTA is not accomplishing goals of the project

15. VISTA Rules & Regulations A refresher

16. What Can VISTAs Do? • VISTA Members are tasked with building the capacity of their host organization/community to eliminate poverty • Building and implementing programs • Recruiting and managing volunteers • Establishing and strengthening local partnerships • Raising awareness of poverty issues in the community • Ensuring program sustainability

17. What Can’t VISTAs Do? • VISTAs are serve behind-the-scenes - they serve indirectly. At host sites and community partners, VISTAs should not be asked to conduct: • Administrative tasks (VISTAs are not secretaries or interns) • Answering phones, making coffee, running errands, etc. • General fundraising (VISTA are not development coordinators) • Direct service • Counseling clients, building homes, tutoring students • A VISTA member may not become identified with a particular faction or group, or with a partisan or nonpartisan political group in the communities in which he/she serves • VISTAs may NOT hold other employment during their service term • VISTAs may not engage in political or religious outreach or demonstration (during service hours)

18. VISTA Benefits • Living Allowance • VISTAs receive a living allowance twice monthly via direct deposit • The low amount helps VISTAs to relate to those living in poverty • Public Assistance • Sick/Vacation Days • 10 sick days & 10 vacation days • Federal Holidays and Host Site holidays (VISTAs still serve during the summer even when school is out) • Health Care • Seven Corners coverage & special accommodations for the Health Care Marketplace • End-of-Service Benefits • $5,550 Segal Education Award or $1,500 Cash Stipend

19. Questions? Now’s your chance…

20. What does it mean to be a VISTA Supervisor? What to expect throughout the year

21. Supervisors Roles & Responsibilities Educate community and staff about VISTA Ensure adequate resources to accomplish VAD tasks VAD – Review & Utilize Provide regular feedback to Program Manager Maintain oversight for overall sustainability Encourage and provide opportunities for VISTA’s personal and professional growth Attend supervisor meetings/trainings Support the integration of VISTAs into your organization and the community Be your VISTA’s GREATEST support! 

22. Visual Depiction of a VISTA Year

23. Monitoring Monitoring Plan Monthly Timesheets Site Visits Quarterly Progress Reports Check-in calls Mid-year and End-year Evaluations

24. Community Partners Educate community partner about VISTA Work with community partner to ensure VISTA activities are engaging, VAD-related, capacity-building, etc. Help VISTA coordinate schedules between host site and community partner Host site supervisor and community partner supervisor work together to determine roles and responsibilities Host sites and community partner organizations should be communicating regularly regarding the VISTA’s service and progress

25. We Communication

26. Questions? Now’s your chance… the other supervisors are coming!

27. Effective Weekly Meetings and Coaching VISTA Members Pssst…..There are resources on coaching in your binder

28. Stories from the Field Telling it like it is

29. Logistics and Paperwork Here we go…

30. Lets’ look at the VAD… I know, it’s been a while since you wrote it

31. NEW CNCS Performance Measures An activity!

33. Other logistics to know Program Handbook Program Website (mnavista.weebly.com) Check the program calendar for dates: timesheets, QPRs, webinars/calls, etc. On-Site Orientation Checklist Reporting

34. Scenarios Talk amongst yourselves

35. The Value of a VISTA Last chance! (in person, for a little while)

36. Over three service quarters the 2013-2014 members have brought about the following results: • 6,379 community volunteers recruited for service • $74,782 in grants or monetary donations brought in to support their work • $35,199 worth of in-kind goods or service donated to support their work • 27 events implemented to promote college access & success with low-income and/or first-generation college students • 1,064 activities completed with 2,721 K-12 students to increase successful educational completion • 152 workshops or trainings related to employability facilitated that reached 630 low-income job-seekers; 87% of them reported better knowledge of resources and employment opportunities because of the workshop • 169 workshops or trainings related to financial literacy facilitated; 91.6% of workshop recipients reported better money-management skills as a result • 811 consultations performed with teachers and/or administrators about successfully implementing service, service-learning and philanthropy education into the classroom • 826 high quality service-learning projects facilitated in K-12 schools and classrooms

37.  What impact(s) have you seen in your community? What impact(s) do you hope to see at the end of this VISTA year?

38. Next Steps! Supervisors’ Orientation Evaluation Survey regarding background checks and site visit days August 12-15 Member Post-PSO August 18 Members’ first day at host site! On-Site Orientation Checklist August 25-26 Post-PSO Training August 27-27 The LEAGUE Michigan Training (for K-12 members) Site visits! Over

39. Reflection What have we learned here?

40. Questions? Telling it like it is